von kilanyi



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

"E. VON K ILANYI. APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING TABLEAUX VIVANTS. PatentedOct. 22

(No Model.)

ANDREW BJERMMM PHOTO'UD'IQWASNINGTUNI C (No Model.) B VON KI LANYI' 3Sheets-Sheena APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING TABLBAUX VIVANTS. No. 548,279.Patented 001;. 22, 1 95.

human nunmndroummmsmnmnnc.

. also in horizontal section.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. Y

EDUARD VON KILANYI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERTBIAL, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR'EXHIBITING TABLEAUX VIVANTS.

:EPEGI ICA'II'DN forming part of Letters Fatent No. 548,279, datedOctober 22, 1895.

- Application filed April 3,1895. Serial No. 544,248. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDUARD VON KILANYI, a citizen of Austria-Hungary,and a resident of the city of New York, in'the county of New York andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inan Apparatus for Exhibiting Tableaux Vivants, of which the following isa specification.

. This invention relates to a new and improved apparatus fordisplayingand exhibiting tableaux vivants, or living pictures.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus ofthis kind, which is so constructed that the persons or groups of personsand the necessary stage properties forming the tableaux or pictures canbe moved at a greater or less speed across the frame-opening in theproscenium or ourtain through which the audience views the pictures, andwhich apparatus is so constructed that it can be built up for use ortaken apart for transportation or storage very readily and rapidly, andwhen not in use can be stored in a comparatively small space, and whichapparatus can readily be used for large or small framed openings in theproscenium or curtain.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the views,Figure 1 is a front View of the frame in the proscenium orcurtain-opening and a tableaux vivant in said frame, parts of theapparatus being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a plan view 'of one endpart of my improved apparatus for displaying tableaux vivant, partsbeing in horizontal section and others brokenout. Fig. 3 is a verticallongitudinal sectional View of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is adetail sectional view on the line 3 3*, Fig. 3. Fig. a is a plan view ofthe other end of the apparatus, parts being Fig. 5 is a rear elevationof the parts shown in Fig. 4, parts being in section.

The several persons or groups of persons and stage properties formingthe tableaux vivant are arranged and grouped on a series of flat cars A,the floors of which gently incline upwardfrom'the front edge at to therear edge a for'the purpose of producing the necessary perspectiveeffect. Each car is provided at one end with a wide-rim flanged wheel Bat each side and at the other end with a narrow-rim flanged wheel B, theflanges of the wheels being on the inner faces and the flanges of thewide and narrow rim wheels being in the same longitudinal planes, asshown, so that the flanges of the wide-rim wheels, as well as those ofthe narrow rimwheels, run along the inner edges of the trackrails O andS, on which the wheels run. The top track-rails O are supported on aseries of rectangular frames 0', which are suitably braced andvstifiened and are placed in line, one'next to the other, directly behindthe frame D,'placed in the proscenium of the stage or a greater distanceback from the proscenium, suitable scenery D or curtains extending fromthe sides of said frame to the wings in the usual and well-known manner.A greater or less number of supporting-frames O are used, according tothe size of the opening of the frame D.

A blade E projects longitudinally and centrally from the under side ofeach car A and has one end a short distance back from one end of thecar'to which it is attached and the other end projecting a shortdistance beyond the other end of the car, as shown in Fig. 3. At thatend of said blade E, a 'short distance inward or back from the end ofthe car, a notch is provided in the bottom edge of the blade to form ahook E, for a purpose that will appear hereinafter. A hook E projectsdownward from the under side of each car a greater or less distance toone side of the longitudinal central line and slightly in advance of thehook E, as shown in Fig. 3.

. A beveled guide-block G is arranged adjacent to each wheel of eachcar, as shown in Figs. 4: and 5, for a purpose that will be set forthhereinafter.

At the starting end of the apparatus two frames H and H are placed endto end, the frame H resting against one of the end supporting-frames C,as shown in Figs. 3'and 4.

At the top of the frame H and inner end of the same the transversedriving-shaft'J is mounted, which is provided .with the crankdriving-wheel J at one'end, and which shaft carries the worm J engagingthe worm-wheel I on the lower end of short shaft I, mounted in the frameH and carrying at its upper end the horizontal friction-disk 1 havingits rim covered with leather or rubber and in contact with a secondfriction-wheel I mounted on a shaft I, also mounted in the frame II.

The blades E of the cars pass between the two friction-disks, and whensaid disks are turned they move the blade E and the car to which it isattached lengthwise evenly and smoothly and without any jars or shocksthat might disturb the persons posing as pictures, statuary, &c., on thecars.

Inclined track-rails K, of sufficient width to receive the narrow-rimwheels B of the cars only, extend from the lower inner corner of theframeI-I to the upper outer corner of the frame 1-1, and track-rails K,adapted to receive the wide-rim wheels 13, extendfrom the lower innercorner of the frame H tothe upper inner corner of the frame H, as shown,the track-rails K being arranged outside of the track-rails K, as shownin the detail'sectional view, Fig. 3.

At the upper endsof the track-rails-K and K recesses L and L. are formedin the trackrails 0 and upwardly swinging switchtongues M and M, asshownin Figs. 2 and 3, are pivoted to the track-rails G so as to coverthe recesses L and L when said switchtongues M and M are in loweredposition, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3.

An endless chain N passes over a sprocketwheel 0 on a crank-shaft O,mounted in the upper outer corner of the'frame H, and over asprocket-wheel 0 on a transverse shaft 0 mounted in the lower innercorner of the frame H, as shown in Fig. 3, andsaidchain N is providedwith a series of lugs II-from which pins P project laterally, which pinscan engage the hooksE projecting'fromthe under side of the cars A. Atthe opposite end of the apparatus two frames Q and Q are arranged end toend and adjacent to the end supporting-frame O, asshownin Figs. 4 and'5.Inclined track-rails R are provided in said frames Q and Q, and areinclined from the lower inner corner of frameQ to the upper outer cornerof the frame Q and lead to the bottomlongitudinal track-rails S on thesupporting-frames (J. The top rails C of the frame Q are provided attheir inner ends and inner edges with recesses T, extending through theentirethickness of said rails,-but only of such depth that thenarrow-rimwheelsB can pass through them,.but not the .widerim wheels B.Inclined guide-bars U,-having recesses U at their lower ends,extendtfromthe recesses T to the inclined track-rails R.

The top track-rails C of the frame Q are provided at their ends with therecesses V, through which the wide-rim wheels Bean pass upon the upper.ends of the inclined track-rails R'inthe frames Q and Q.

An endless chain W, having lugs W with laterally-projecting pins W, ispassed over the sprocket-wheel O on the shaft '0 and the wheels Bontnetracks K.

over the sprocket-wheel X on the shaft X, mounted in the bottom part ofthe frame Q.

A curtain Z, on which the background is painted, is attached to twovertical rollers Y and Y, behind the framesO of which the roller Y isdriven by the chain d from the sprocket-wheel e on the shaft 1 and theroller Y driven from the roller Y by means of the endlesschain cl.

The operation is as follows: The first of the series of groups orpersons for the tableaux vivaut are properly posed and placed on. a carresting on the frames H and H, and

said car is then pushed forward until its blade E is between thefriction-disks 1 so that said car will be moved in the direction ofitslength when the disksare turned. The successive groups or personsarethen successively posed and'arranged on the following cars, which arepushed forward filizlhBPI'OIJGl time, so that the several groups orpersons constituting the tableaux successively appear in and slowly moveacross the opening in the framejI), the background Z being unwoundwiththe same speed from one rollerY and wound on the other roller Y. -Forexample,,the first persons or groups may represent works of Grecian art,as shown, then followgroups representing subjects of the early Christianera,-then groupsrepresenting art of the middle ages, then of theRenaissance period, then of the Rococo period, then the art inthe earlypart of the present century, then the schools of the various nations,and, finally, groups representing the art of the present day, 850'. In alike manner groups may be slowly passed across the opening in the frameD representing scenes from a popular novel-for example, Trilby-or scenesfrom the life of celebrated men-for example, George :Washington, AbrahamLincoln, Napoleon I. The movements of the cars should be so asto behardly perceptible,but nevertheless the cars must be constantlyinmotion. When the ears arrive at the frame Q',.the.persons on thesameinstantly dismount and the cars drop upon the inclinedtrack R, thenar row rear wheel B passing through the re cesses T and thewider frontwheels 13, which passed over the recesses T, passing through therecesses V. To prevent the cars from bumping toomuch and descendingtoorapidly, the guide-blocks G have been provided, whichslide 0E:the'inelined sides of the recesses T and'V and on theinclined guides U.The cars run down the inclined tracks R upon the'bottomtracksSof theframesO and their hooks-.Eareengaged bythe pins W on the lugs \V of theendless chain W, and thereby thecarsare drawn back to the frames 11 andH, where theirhooks E are engaged by the pins P of the endless chainN'and the cars are pulled up theinclined tracks K and K, the wheels Brunning .upthe tracks K and The ends of theascendingcar lift theswitch-tongues M and :M and the cars then run upon the tracks 0 of theframe H and areready for receiving persons or groups and to be againmoved across the opening in the frame D, and so on.

A limited number of cars thus suffices for exhibiting a number ofpersons or groups successively, as each .car is automatically returnedto the initial position to be used again.

The entire apparatus cab can be built up for use and taken down in avery short time and can easily be transported.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a frame of a set of tracks on the top of thesame, a second set of tracks directly below the top tracks and paralleltherewith, and inclined tracks extending upward and outward from thebottom tracks to the top tracks at both ends of the tracks,substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination with a supporting frame, having top and bottomtracks, of cars mounted to run on said tracks, inclined tracks at theend of said frame for guiding the cars to and from said upper tracks andswitch tongues at the upper ends of the inclined tracks, at one end ofthe frame, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination with a supporting frame having top and bottom tracks,of cars mounted to run on said tracks and having wide rim wheels at oneend and narrow rim wheels at the opposite end and of inclined tracks atthe ends of the frame for guiding the cars to and from the upper tracks,substantially as herein shown and described.

4. The combination with a frame having parallel top and bottom tracks,of cars mounted to run on the same, inclined tracks at the ends of saidframe for guiding the cars to'and from the upper tracks, a longitudinalblade on the under side of each car, which blade has a hook on its end,friction wheels mounted in the frame for moving said blades and the carsto which they are attached, lengthwise and a sprocket chain having lugsfor engaging the hooks on the blades, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention Ihave signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 16th day of March,

EDUARD VON KILANYI. Witnesses:

OSCAR A. GUNZ, D. PETRI-PALMEDO.

